Ugly "New Rooms"

Does anyone else feel like they've just booked into jail when they enter their "new room"? Stayed at the beautiful, well, used to be beautiful, Falls Church Marriott in VA and was horrified by the rooms makeover (they haven't destroyed the foyer yet). All a dark greyish brown, the exact color of the box of the supplied Thien soap, and the exact color of the metal vent cover - gee, now it all blends together - is that why they chose that drab, depressing color with no relief save one lime green pillow? The second night I checked out early, couldn't stay the night, I literally felt like I was buried alive, in a dirt cave. The hall ways, and the carpet have been similarly made lifeless - joyless. So sad. The artwork, a manufactured giant crooked, violent bolt of lightening, was disturbing, hanging over the bed threateningly.The colors before were wonderful - soft, saffron yellow and a rich coral - warm, welcoming and soothing. Is this a communist plot? I dream in color, and do not want to live, and pay for, a dismal grayish brown, colorless life. If everyone complains maybe they'll redecorate all of these "neutral" new rooms, but I doubt it unless they see a drop in customers. Until then, I'll vote with my pocketbook. Of course, some of you will like it - you are welcome to it. I genuinely loved coming into my room there, everything about it, now I cannot even go there. Feel like I've lost a friend.

Click on "Rooms" at the Charlotte Marriott City Center and then sit back and take in the overall color and you'll see what I mean. Very drab, colorless scheme. It seriously makes me think of a communist state, of the movie 1984, where everyone wears grey pajamas and there is no artistic expression allowed. I realize this is just me - that's why I asked if others felt the same way. By the way, I went down to the front desk and asked if there were any rooms left that hadn't been renovated yet so I could move to one of them, and the young lady quietly agreed with me that the new colors were awful.

brightlybob - believe me, these rooms are dark! The pictures vaboywnder posted above are with all the lights on. The shadows are deep and cold with only a little light on, and for many people, such as your own bright self, not a cheery place at all. The only art work is that hideous, painful looking jagged nerve or lightening bolt hanging over the bed - what the heck is that? Maybe they think it's a tree limb but why so ugly? The grounds of this hotel are beautiful, like being in a park, with a lovely elongated fountain with large bronze leaping salmon, and there is even a small lake you can walk around right across the road. I really loved this place. Now, going into your room you feel like you are a bug crawling into a hole.

I'm not a mentally disturbed person at all, but when I posted that I couldn't stay there the second night, which I had booked and planned on doing, I was not kidding, because the room made me feel claustrophobic, closed in. Also, for anyone with any kind of pain - emotional, psychological or physical - and often people stay at a hotel to be near a loved one in a hospital - that piece of "art" is not helpful at all.

seachi - I really don't mean to be tough about this at all. This is a good discussion about how people feel about these rooms and I'm glad you like them. The fact that I can't stand them is just my perspective (and at least one other person - brightlybob, seems to feel the exact same way.) I respect your opinion and realize that taste is very subjective.

The JW Galleria did something similar but in grey/blue/white tones and it looks amazing. To me, this is the "brown" version and I don't care for it as much. It's much better however than the before reno pics.

Your welcome. I did take these pictures about 10pm after I just checked in. I like taking room pics after I check in before I get a chance to mess up the room.

You are right at night the room is dark but there is large windows that allow a lot of natural light during the day. I've seen similar color schemes at Restoration Hardware which is very popular with many modern designers. To me it is a great improvement as the room is more functional now than before with additional electric outlets,usb ports and a new HD tv.

Overall this is a great property in the area. One of the few places that offers free parking and great rates. The hotel grounds are well kept. On the weekends Gold and Platinum Members get access to a free full breakfast buffet in the hotel restaurant.

Side note: The nearby Fair Oaks Marriott in Fairfax has a similar color scheme and some of their rooms are even darker especially the inner rooms that overlook the hotel's indoor courtyard. Those inner rooms do not get any natural light during the day and you have to use lights in the daytime.

I am not a fan of browns in the design world unless the material is organic, like wood. And even then you can over do it. Who posted the photo of the Marriott something or other Walnut? nationwide was that you? And the uncomfortable seat belt chair? What is up with these cave link rooms?!

When a hotel does a reno, they NEED to really think LONG term. How long will it take this look to date? to feel worn out? What is in style now, won't be in about 5 to 6 years and interior overhauls are usually every 10 years.

There certainly isn't anything fresh about brown carpet. If they would have pulled the lighter tones from the carpet colors and put those on the wall that might have lightened up the space. I don't really mind it but it is rather dark.

I went to TripAdvisor and checked out the before reno photos and it was very much time to update. I'd have gone a little more "fresh" in the new look however... bring in some of that beautiful park...and not with just a green throw pillow. ;D

seatexan, it was the Walnut Creek Marriott that had recently been redone, predominately in browns, and horribly uncomfortable furniture. I couldn't find the thread to paste it here, but will try to do so later on.

I've stayed in one of the renovated rooms at this very hotel and actually liked the decor. The window let in a lot of light during the day, so the room wasn't dark at all. At night, I find all hotel rooms are dark, irregardless of design, color, and decor.

That is exactly what it felt like when I stayed there. It actually was conducive to our situation the first day, as we arrived on a red eye. It was a perfect place for crawling in bed at nine o'clock in the morning and taking a 3 hour nap!

I believe the term is "greige" meaning part grey & part beige. Some of the model homes are professionally decorated in greige & look beautiful with accents of color in the paintings, pillows, accessories. However, in Vaboywnder's photo of the Marriott room it does appear too monotone. Not enough pop of color to brighten the room. However, I can see how it can be very calming after a stressful day of work or play.

lol I forgot to mention how uncomfortable the half sofa thing is. If you sit on it like a chair you have no armrest for your left arm, and your right arm is up rather high if you rest it on that high end. If you stretch your legs out you still have no place to rest your arms. On top of that it's not much of a cushion either, not something you can sink into or relax on. Really liked the soft chair and ottoman that used to be there (I used to sit there and read) - the half sofa thing (I know, a chaise lounge whatever) can only be perched on. The new desk chair is not particularly comfortable either, for me anyways. I've never complained or criticized anything so much in my life, folks, really.

It is not a 'half sofa thing'-- it is a modernistic interpretation of a chaise lounge, which is purpose-built with only one 'arm'.

While I can see your points about the colour scheme, for me, they're fine and more importantly, they are unobtrusive. See many examples of hotel greens, for instance, the fondness for periwinkles and a cheap celedon or sea foam, for something that is in fact really ugly, and looks like it was clawed directly from 1972.

Hotels need to have the ability to not easily show dirt and wear readily. They succeeded in that. And while some folks may not like the scheme, it is neat and trim, and is calming. I wouldn't consider this an aspirational property, so the colour scheme for me is less important than it would be for perhaps an RC or similar.

About a year ago, we stayed in a newly renovated room at the Falls Church Marriott property. I must agree with you that the new decor is indeed not very cheerful nor does it align with my personal taste. Additionally, the new couch seemed to be a piece of furniture that was cheaply constructed, however having said that... the property is located in a beautiful setting (in my opinion) with the beautiful tall trees, the lobby is still fun, the restaurant serves a stupendously awesome breakfast buffet on weekends (comp. for golds/plats), the service is excellent all around, the indoor/outdoor pool is neat and so is the courtyard/garden, and parking is - free! At $71-$89/night (the least and most we've ever paid to stay there), we love it! We also don't spend much time in the room. Will be back there next weekend, in fact and look forward to it (as well as seeing our east coast friends vaboywnder and eklektech!)

I have for certain observed some renovations that in some ways seem to have been more of a downgrade than the furnishings prior to the renovation. I've never seen the rooms prior to the reno at Falls Church, but I can take your word for it that the decor was much nicer. I stayed at the Mayflower in DC both prior to and since they renovated, and I liked the earlier decor better than the new decor. The new decor isn't exactly ugly or anything (colors gray, black, white, plum), but some of the furniture (desk, credenzia, dresser) is like, cheap feeling compared to the old stuff. It's the same at my parents time share in Newport Beach. While the colors of the new stuff are bright and cheerful (lime green and tangerine), everything about the furniture and art is just really cheap. At least the beds, the most important thing(!) are still very comfortable and provide a good night's sleep!